Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.” – John 4:31-34

The night we arrived home from our big Italy Adventure we walked in to a house without a kitchen. Intellectually, we knew this was coming; emotionally, it was still a huge shock.

To be fair, our contractor had already emailed photographs of the empty space, post-demolition. He moved the refrigerator to the garage, and put up plastic sheeting to protect the rest of the downstairs. Plus we had already moved every piece of furniture to the living room and completely filled our guest room with dishes, utensils, dry goods and sundry “why do we even own this?” items.

RAMEN NOODLES, ANYONE? Regardless of the care involved, fixing meals around here the past two weeks has been like grad school déjà vu; with the exception that this time we can actually afford to eat out once in a while.

The toaster oven (I think it’s the same one we used in grad school!) still works, plus I have an excellent electric griddle. But it takes forever to do anything.

The fridge is in the garage; the dishes are in the guest bath upstairs; non-refrigerated food is in the living room; the table is in the dining room but it’s sealed off from the kitchen so we have to go the long way around; the utensils are in the guest bedroom; the toaster-oven and general prep area is on a small table near the front door; the garbage is wherever Scout can’t find it (we’re not doing so well in that regard); the coffee is upstairs too.

Sometimes the best way to get to the milk (especially today, with sheet rock guys in the kitchen and the dining room too) is out through the front door, in through my car window to hit the door opener, and on through the pile of debris in the front of the garage to the refrigerator.

Consequently, it takes me close to 15 minutes (and around a quarter-mile of walking) to prepare a simple breakfast of cereal, milk, coffee, and fresh fruit.

FAITH: So what? Why – other than the fact that it’s interesting – bring this up in my Life, Gratitude, Faith, & Passion blog?

Well, this morning I’m thinking about the way a good kitchen pulls everything else together in a home; it’s the epicenter of activity. Not just because everyone likes to eat, but because everyone needs nourishment, and everyone needs community; nourishment and community are the functional and spiritual heart of the home.

It’s a great metaphor for faith. Faith not only nourishes, it places us in community and it equips us for life. But if faith is not central, if it’s not the epicenter of who we are as individuals and as families, then it’s like having the refrigerator in the garage, the coffee in the upstairs bathroom, the food in the living room, and all the confusion that goes along with fragmentation and dissociation.

Jesus said that “My food is to do the will of the Father.” We can dress up our kitchen and organize our home beautifully (and – hopefully by the end of September – it’s going to happen soon…), but it’s a million times more important to install, and maintain, “the will of the Father” as the nerve-center of life at Maul Hall.

Here are a few pictures of the progress to date. Hopefully, I’ll have some radical transformation to share with you soon.

Peace, Promise, Hope, and Blessing – DEREK